Tag: #BOOSTTheWorld

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Back to Connection

A message to the youth

In the past fifteen years within the world of personal development, I have spoken, guided and observed thousands of people. One-on-one, in groups, in halls full, on stages. And through all those conversations, one insight came to the fore more and more: we have lost the connection with each other. Not only with each other, but especially with ourselves.

We live in a time when knowledge is infinitely available. We read “books, listen to podcasts, devour YouTube videos, scroll through Instagram and TikTok for hours looking for answers to questions like “Who am I? Why am I here? What is the purpose of life?”

But the more we know, the less we seem to know.

The more prosperity we have, the emptier we feel.

The more connected we are online, the more we are alone offline.

We live in stories

We identify en masse with stories. Stories that were once invented or told by others through upbringing, religion, society, culture, marketing. We believe them, adopt them and live them as if they were absolute truth. We judge who thinks, believes differently or lives differently because we are so convinced that our way is the right one.

And in the meantime, an industry has emerged that teaches us how to be someone: successful, visible, perfect.

Social media is full of images of lives that are often not real. We compare ourselves to illusions and thus become even further removed from who we really are.

What do we teach our children?

We teach them:

  • perform according to the standards of others
  • meet expectations they never chose themselves
  • always be strong
  • avoid failure
  • and above all: to no longer feel.

But a person is not a brand. A human being is not a performance machine.

You are not what you own, you are not your followers, your numbers, your likes, your perfect photos.

You are human. With a story. With mistakes. With dreams. With feelings.

Where did we lose connection?

We have forgotten that we are part of something bigger. Whether you call it God, the universe, the cosmos, or energy—it doesn’t matter.

What matters is being connected. With the earth. With each other. With your own heart.

Look at people like the Dalai Lama, Jesus, Gandhi. Not because they were perfect — but because the stories we tell about them breathe hope and humanity. Stories that connect instead of divide.

A message for you – if you are between 8 and 21 years old

Maybe you feel lost in all expectations. In all the books, all the videos, all the advice, all the filters, all the voices that tell you who you should be.

You may think you’re failing. That you are not enough. That you are too late. That others are further along than you.

Then know this:

There is someone who sees you when you dare to feel.

There is someone who hears you when you dare to speak.

There is someone who stands next to you when you dare to be vulnerable.

You are allowed to fail. You can change. You can start over.

You can search. You can learn. You can cry. You can be human.

What we want to build

Boost The World Foundation believes in a world in which young people do not have to survive, but are allowed to live.

A world in which we do not judge each other, but understand each other.

A world in which we learn to feel instead of perform.

A world in which stories connect instead of divide.

We can’t change everything. But we can start.

With listening. With sharing. With loving. With being human.

“May we Boost the World” by returning to connection.

by Rosanne van Zalingen
Founder of BOOST The World Foundation

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Trusting Your Heart: Encounters That Change Your LIfe

Sometimes, when you follow your heart, things happen that you could never have planned. You meet exactly the people you need to make a real impact. I still remember clearly how, during a Young Leader Expedition, I took a moment to rest. For two nights, I had barely slept to ensure that all 18 volunteers arrived safely in Hoedspruit, South Africa. While they were on an excursion, I decided to take a break on the stone ground in front of the Reserve’s office.

Suddenly, I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder. I opened my eyes and saw a friendly man standing there: the Reserve’s general manager. He laughed and asked why I was lying on the ground. I had to laugh quietly and I thought: “This must be meant to be“. We started talking. I told him about our plans to support the local community and our vision for the project’s future.

We got into a conversation. I told him about our plans to support the local community and our vision for the project’s future. To my surprise, he invited me to stay at his house for a while to sleep and rest.

During that conversation, he said something I never expected. He knew someone who had the same mission as we have. A person who would exactly help to make our plans a reality. Not knowing that this person was Barrie, now our Director of BOOST The World Africa and the key pillar of everything we do there. From the moment I met him, it became clear how essential he would be for our projects.

What this moment taught me is something I would like to share: when you are aligned with your heart and follow your spirit, you naturally meet the right people. Especially at moments when you least expect it, or don’t plan it. The universe, or whatever you want to call it, puts you on the path of those who can strengthen your mission.

Trusting your heart does not mean that it is always easy. It means that you dare to listen, to step into the unknown, and to be open to the people and opportunities that come your way. It takes you exactly where you need to be – often in ways you could never have imagined.

So my call to you: listen to your heart. Follow that calling, even if it feels scary or uncertain. Because when you do, something magical can happen: you connect with people who share your vision, you build impact, and you discover that you are never alone on your path.

With love,
Rosanne van Zalingen
Founder of BOOST The World Foundation

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When everything falls silent

We were in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis. I still remember well how we stood there in South Africa. With 19 people. Waiting for hours in line to get a swab up our noses. Because without a test, we weren’t allowed to go back home.

It felt like the beginning of a lot of misery. Volunteers stopped helping. People were afraid to give money. The world was turned upside down. And everything seemed to come to a halt.

However deep down, Barrie and I knew: we must not stop. So we kept going, often working behind the scenes, managing our projects. We worked double hours. Worked extremely hard, also for our own family. While everyone around us switched to survival mode, we chose to keep pushing forward.

And believe me: it wasn’t easy. Following your heart doesn’t mean everything will work out on its own. It demands sacrifices. It demands perseverance. It requires trust, especially when everything around you is uncertain.

That’s the Power of the Heart. It whispers, sometimes almost inaudibly: “Don’t stop. You have to get through this“. And exactly at those moments when life feels heavy, when you think you can’t handle it anymore, that is the call of your heart. Then you discover that you can bear much more than you think. And yes, after that period of struggling and holding on, a turnaround came. Slowly we got into the right flow. We met exactly the right people, at exactly the right moment. Some call that coincidence. I call it synchronization.

The lesson from that time

What I learned during that period is that the heart always guides you, even through storms. Sometimes by making you persist when everything inside you is screaming to give up. Sometimes by opening doors that you would never have imagined yourself.

The path of the heart is not an easy path. But it is the only path on which you truly remain faithful to yourself. And that is also the reason why we help others to learn to hear the voice of their heart again. Because when you listen to your heart, not only does your life change, but also the lives of the people around you. So when life feels heavy, don’t just ask yourself: why is this happening? Instead ask: “What does my heart want to tell me now?“

With love,
Rosanne van Zalingen
BOOST The World Foundation

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The Way of the Heart

The way of the heart is not always easy. It requires courage. It requires trust. And often it asks you to step into the unknown, without certainty or a plan.

Years ago, when I first spoke my dream out loud—against my neighbor, no less—I truly had no idea what would come next. I told him that I felt called. A dream, an inner voice that kept returning.

A week later, I was in South Africa. Without experience. Without knowledge. Without my own network in that country where I did feel a deep calling. I did not know where to start. I did not know whom I could trust. And honestly? I did not know if I was “good enough” to make a difference. The only thing that kept me going was the voice of my heart. Some call it the spirit. That gentle whisper inside that does know what you are meant to do, even when your mind can think of a thousand reasons not to. That little voice says: “Go. Trust. Take that Step“.

And so my journey began. A journey that was anything but easy. Full of falling and getting back up. But that was precisely what was needed to learn that strength does not lie in perfect circumstances, but in daring to listen.

The Heart as the Temple of the Soul

The heart is more than an organ that pumps blood. It is the temple of the soul. It speaks. It feels. It guides. But the question is: do you listen?

We often live in a world of noise: the opinions of others, external expectations, the speed of life. And because of that, we forget the softest, yet most powerful sound: our own heart’s voice.

Why we do this work?

Through BOOST The World Foundation, we help people, especially young people and students, to reconnect with their hearts. Because I know from personal experience what can happen when you dare to follow that path. Your life changes. Your choices change. And the impact you make on the world becomes greater than you ever imagined.

It is not always the easiest path. But it is the truest one. And so today, I ask: “When did your heart speak last? And… did you listen?“

With love,
Rosanne van Zalingen
Founder of BOOST The World Foundation

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Will You Be Part of Something Powerful?

Every child deserves a healthy start and a bright future

 

BOOSTING THE WORLD TOGETHER

New year, new round, new opportunities. A new board, new goals, and new developments on the estate. You’ll read all about it in this newsletter.

We have a new internet domain

Since the beginning of September, we have a new domain name: boosttheworld.org If you still refer to boosttheworld.com, you’ll automatically be redirected to the new domain. “.com” sounds too commercial to us, while .org is more reserved for non-profit organizations. Which, of course, we are.

Introducing the new Board

Since the end of August, the BOOST The World Foundation has a new board that has started off decisively. We’d like to introduce our board members to you here:

Rosanne van Zalingen

Our dedicated founder, remains our inspiring chair. She founded BOOST The World in 2019, just before the Covid-19 crisis struck. She is now supported by two capable and driven fellow board members.

Ivo Kemmink

He has agreed to take on the position of secretary, while also overseeing the expansions of our Hoedspruit estate. We call Ivo our community builder. He brings with him a wealth of experience in development work.

Tom de Zwart

A skilled bookkeeper, was eager to take on the role of treasurer. He immediately brought everything into order and prepared a solid 2024 annual report, which was formally adopted by the new Board.

 

Rosanne, Ivo and Tom, a very warm welcome and best of luck.

Our Vision

By 2030, 500,000 young people worldwide will have experienced a transformative BOOST journey, in which they are trained and guided into leadership with a heart, focused on love, care, and wisdom.

To realize this vision, we aim to reach groups of young people each year through both online and offline programs, with every group inspiring an ever-growing new group.

This creates the following exponential growth model for the coming five years:

In the year …
we will have reached cumulatively …

2026 – 150 young people
2027 – 1,150 young people
2028 – 8,700 young people
2029 – 66,000 young people
2030 – 500,000 young people

You can read this policy plan in more detail on our website under About us.

And how are things in Hoedspruit, South Africa?

Things are going well. The vegetable garden (nursery) is thriving and already producing plenty of fruits and vegetables. A second nursery is currently being established.

As spring has just begun and the hot summer weather is on its way, there is now a great need for water, not only to irrigate the plants through a proper system, but also to enjoy a refreshing shower after work in these high temperatures.

WATER – WATER – WATER

Hoedspruit is not connected to any kind of water supply system. At the moment, they rely on a water truck that, from time to time, brings water over a long distance, which is then pumped into a large 1,000-liter water tank at our location.

Our great wish is to drill a borehole and pump up our own water from a depth between 40 and 120 meters, and to install a second water tank. Drilling such a borehole requires expertise (specialists) and the right equipment (drilling rig, submersible pump, connection to electricity, and so on).

We are talking about a required amount of approximately €24.000. Naturally, we are very much in need of the support of donors and sponsors to make this possible. On our website, you will find the DONATE button.

Crowdfunding

We will also be making more intensive use of crowdfunding. Due to the low costs, we have chosen the crowdfunding platform WhyDonate. Many of the sub-projects in Hoedspruit can be found there.

The most important project is the connection to the national electricity grid, the required transformer, and a complete system with solar panels. Take a look here. In particular, we would like to call on employees of Dutch energy companies to contribute. They, more than anyone else, understand what energy means when you don’t have it…

Other projects for which we would like to organize fundraising campaigns on WhyDonate include:

Every contribution, no matter how big or small, is most welcome and deeply appreciated. Thank you very much.

You have the power to change the future of a child. Let’s do this together.

Together, we’re building a land full of opportunity.

With gratitude,
Team BOOST The World

Help us by DONATING!

PS: BOOST The World Foundation is a registered public benefit foundation (ANBI in The Netherlands). Your donation may be tax deductible. Ask us how!